Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge

My mom is not a cook. All childhood memories of watching my parent in the kitchen, making a meal, are of my father. There were a couple dishes my mom would make, maybe once or twice a year. She could make a good egg salad sandwich and sometimes she would make some cookies using a roll of Pillsbury cookie dough or bake some cupcakes using a boxed cake mix, but other than that, the kitchen was not a place I could often find my mother.

Every year, however, around the holidays, my mother would make a batch of fudge. I never knew the recipe, but I know there was marshmallow fluff, loads of powdered sugar, and some form of chocolate. And it was divine. She would always make a batch with walnuts and one without and they would travel to my grandparent’s house in the orange tupperware container with the clasping handles. It was almost as if the handles were put there specifically so I couldn’t quickly reach in and grab a piece, unnoticed.

My mom hasn’t made this fudge in probably 25 years so I don’t remember exactly how this fudge tasted but I do remember that it was rich, luscious, and so sweet it would make your teeth hurt. But I do remember that it was worth the pain.

These days, the fudge wouldn’t fly with me because a.) that stuff wasn’t even close to being vegan, and 2.) I cannot handle sugar. Like, I barely ever eat sugar and it’s certainly not from anything I make in my kitchen. But I still love fudge so of course, I had to get innovative.

I did A LOT of fudge testing when I was writing my cookbook,But I Could Never Go Vegan!, so I have my little fudge routine down. One of the foundations of this routine is coconut butter (it’s different from coconut oil or regular vegan butter). I love the firmness it brings to the fudge once it’s been chilled and I love the richness it adds without adding any coconut flavor. The next important part is melted chocolate, and thirdly a nut butter. If I’m going for something super fudgy, I go with a mild-flavored nut butter like almond or cashew, but for this one, because I love all things PB + Chocolate, I opted for peanut butter. And I. Did. Not. Regret. It. Next you need a sweetener, and I like to do a combo of maple syrup and stevia (a natural, plant-based, calorie-free sweetener). The maple syrup rounds out the flavor while the stevia adds the sweetness I remember from Mom’s fudge, without the toothaches. Stevia can be a tricky because some brands have a definite aftertaste, but I love using NuNaturals stevia because it is completely aftertaste-less.

This Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge is one of my favorite Veganized Family Favorite Desserts but you should check out the series over at Canned Time, where every month a different blogger is sharing one of their favorite family desserts that they’ve veganized. Thank you so much, Angela, for having me be a part of this awesome series!

In a double boiler, or a glass bowl fixed over a small pot of boiling water, melt the chocolate. Stir every minute or so to prevent sticking and encourage melting. Once completely melted, remove from the heat and set aside.

Combine the coconut butter, peanut butter, cacao/cocoa powder, maple syrup, stevia, vanilla extract, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and process until smooth. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and use a rubber spatula (or your fingers) to flatten it out and spread it out evenly. If using, sprinkle the peanuts and cacao nibs over the top and use the spatula or your fingers to gently press the toppings into the top. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill until firm, about an hour or so.

Once firm, remove from the refrigerator and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the fudge out of the pan and use a sharp knife to chop it into 10-12 pieces. Transfer the pieces to an airtight container and chill until ready to serve. It will keep, chilled in an airtight container, for about 2 weeks (if you don't eat it all before then). Enjoy!

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What’s one of your favorite childhood desserts? How have you veganized it?

Disclaimer: I was given NuNaturals product to try but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. I was not compensated for this post.

I loooove nut butter fudge! Haven’t tried it with coconut butter yet, that sounds interesting. It’s funny but I was never much of a fan of fudge in my pre-vegan days, but now I think the vegan version is much nicer.

I’ve kept a few things from my mum’s kitchen, too – most of the stuff, actually! She wasn’t a big baker but she can make a mean chocolate cake. It’s a nice feeling to still be using her kitchen equipment.The Vegan Cookie Fairy recently posted…Chocolate Mousse Cake

Yes yes yes!! I made a fudge last night with coconut butter and peanut butter as well, and it’s soooo good. I definitely devoured more than one piece haha. Yours looks great. Thanks for sharing:)Laura recently posted…Carrot Cake Muffins

You could lose the stevia altogether if you’d like and just keep the maple syrup quantity as-is. It will be a little less sweet, but I make it without the stevia all the time and it’s great. Good luck!

My mom was a great cook and baker and her fudge was one of my favorite treats and all my friends agreed it was the best. When i became an adult i asked for her secret recipe and was floor when she said sure, go buy a jar of marshmellow fluff and the recipe is on the back! Probably the same delicious fudge your mom made — sadly far from vegan. These days i want something far less sweet but still creamy. Your peanut butter chocolate fudge looks perfect.

This looks amazing! I’ve just made peanut butter and this recipes is the perfect one to start using it (and stop digging my spoon straight into the jar, lol).
The pictures are SO beautiful! <3Gemma recently posted…Vanilla Cupcakes with Avocado Dark Chocolate Frosting